Check Out Aubrey Mamaid’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Aubrey Mamaid

Hi Aubrey, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
2015 was a pivotal year in my life. I was born and raised in the Philippines and moving to a foreign country, specifically Los Angeles at 17 years old was life-changing. We moved to LA because my grandfather was able to petition us through his veteran benefits. He filed our papers in the early 1990s but our papers was not processed until 2015. Uprooting my life and starting anew in a town I’ve never been was nerve wrecking. I attended Belmont High School, an LAUSD school in Downtown LA and wow was I culture shocked! Home was 7,185 miles away, and I felt that distance everyday.

It wasn’t until Versa-Style Dance Company went to Belmont HS as part of their School Tours was I exposed to Hip Hop and Street Dance. Back then the only exposure I had to Hip Hop was Youtube since the Philippines didn’t have that much knowledge on Hip Hop. Seeing black and brown bodies dancing to music I grew up listening to on stage made me realize that someday, I need to be on that stage too. After the show, Ernesto “Precise” Galarza hosted a dance workshop with which I was the first one to sign up and show up. I introduced myself to Precise and asked how I can be more involved with Versa-Style. He invited me to their weekly Friday classes, where I met the directors, Jackie “Miss Funk” Lopez and Leigh “Breeze-Lee” Foaad. Meeting the co-directors, dancing with VS members across the floor, and dancing hard to a point where I saw stars during class, I knew I found a place that felt like home.

I auditioned for their youth program, “Versa-Style Next Generation” and got valuable movement training as well as academic support. While in VSNG, they continuously provided us with opportunities such as the UCLA Summer Intensive where I was recruited by Harry “Fullout” Weston on a full-ride scholarship. UCLA was a mere dream school, and spending a week-long intensive focused on dance opened up the possibilities of pursuing it as a career. Through the mentorship from Precise, Miss Funk, and Breeze-Lee, I got accepted to UCLA as a double major in Dance, Asian American Studies, with a minor in Public Affairs. As a UCLA student, I got to train directly under Miss Funk and Breeze-Lee in the Dance Department. Every quarter, I made sure I was in their class, because I knew how valuable their experience and commitment to the quality of Hip Hop movement was. My time in UCLA I was able to explore not just my artistry, but also my love for grassroots organizing, facilitating, and overall community-building.

Until this day, I am still heavily involved with Versa-Style in different capacities! I graduated from the VSNG program as co-captain and was moved up to Versa-Style’s B-company, Versa-Style Legacy. This is now the company that tours LA, similar to how I met Precise at my high school’s show. Full circle moment, I am now the co-manager along with my best friend Leonardo “Inner-G” Flores for the current VSNG program. Another full circle moment, I returned to UCLA as Director of Program Operations for the same UCLA summer program I did in high school. In addition, I am also a Teaching Artist for VS, teaching in Van Nuys High School and Cortines High School. Lastly, I am the Special Projects Coordinator for VS, focusing on grant writing, community events, and overall administrative support!

I would not be the artist that I am today without Versa-Style. Having the support from my mentors and the space to hone my passion for dance, I found my home away from home. Through VS, I have traveled to different cities and countries all for dance as a competitor and performer. I have built long-lasting relationships with my peers on and off the dance floor. Lastly, I get to say that dance pays all my bills! To live a life in LA as a dancer was beyond my imagination as someone coming from the Philippines!

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It hasn’t been a smooth road but I wouldn’t have had it any other way. A diamond is created in high-pressure settings, and I’d like to think I do too. One of the struggles I had to face was getting accustomed to a different life here in Los Angeles. Our first month in LA my family and I struggled with our living situation. We couldn’t afford any apartments at the time and so we lived in a rundown motel by Echo Park for a month. Seeing my immigrant parents struggle in assimilating and finding a new job weighed heavily on me. High School was also a struggle in itself. None of my classes were accredited from the Philippines and so I had to start from scratch. I was persistent to go to college, and so being held back in high school did not stop me. I stacked my schedule with AP classes, I attended online school, and enrolled in LACC to finish all my courses in time. Within 2 years in high school, I completed a 4-year high school diploma.

Culturally, it was and sometimes still is a struggle to accept dance as my career. I grew up in a culture where dance was merely seen as a hobby, and from a young age I was always encouraged to find a stable and money-making career. Dance was always a passion for me, but I had the pressure to cast it aside to be “successful”. I had plans to pursue a law degree through my academics, but I knew that dance was my calling. Balancing the cultural pressures of providing for my family but also prioritizing myself and what makes me happy is a struggle that’s on my mind frequently.

And lastly, and I hope the most relatable, is imposter syndrome. As I wear multiple hats and perform in different capacities for a non-profit organization, there are moments where I doubt my ability to sit at the tables that I am currently occupying. I constantly feel like I’m catching up, may it be artistically and administratively. I know I can be my worst critic and enemy at times. I felt this the most just recently when I attended the Vancouver Street Dance Festival back in August. As a competitor in Street Dance, I love to battle and challenge myself in those spaces. During this battle, I was able to make it to the House Finals against over 100 competitors. I remember the feeling of being anxious and overwhelmed, to face a massive crowd and for my love of dance to be judged by many. I remember thinking to myself, “how the hell did I end up here??” seeing people in the crowd that I know deserved to be up there as well. In that moment, I had to remind myself to snap out of it and care less about how other people see me. I dance for myself and for those that paved the way for me. This is how I beat Imposter Syndrome! Standing strong in my artistry and being courageous enough to share it with the world is both an honor and responsibility, but my community, my peers, family and friends have continuously reminded me of my resilience.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
In the dance world, I am known as “Siga” which means Gangster in Tagalog (Filipino). I am a Street Dance Practitioner, Teaching Artist, and Administrator.

I work very closely with Versa-Style Dance Company (VSDC), who is responsible for exposing me to Hip Hop and Street Dance. Currently, I am a principle member of VSDC’s company, Versa-Style Legacy. We perform locally in various stages, including LAUSD schools to educate the youth on history and culture of Street Dance.

I am also a Street Dance Battler/Competitor. I am grateful to say that I have traveled to different places all through dance, this including Vancouver, Tijuana, Guadalajara, New York, Chicago, Texas, and Florida to name a few! I thoroughly enjoy battling as it is a great way to connect with dance community locals and also push my artistry.

I am a Teaching Artist. I currently am teaching at Van Nuys High School and Ramon C. Cortines Visual and Performing Arts High School, bringing Hip Hop and Street Dance to LAUSD classrooms. Recently, I started working with the youth in the juvenile justice system, with hopes to utilize Hip Hop as a healthy outlet of self-expression. I am also the Co-Manager for VSDC’s youth program, Versa-Style Next Generation.

Aside from being a practitioner of Street Dance, I also work administratively for VSDC as their Special Projects Coordinator. I focus on fundraising and development, specifically writing grants to receive local, state, and federal funding. On a yearly basis, I also produce the Versa-Style Community Theater Showcase, which happens on Day 2 of the VSDC Anniversary Festival every May. Most recently, I am the Director of Program Operations for the UCLA Hip Hop/Street Dance Pre-College Summer Institute that takes place over the summer, catering to high school students.

Among these things, I am most proud of the work that I do with the youth. I love to teach and share my passion for dance. Hip Hop as a culture is so special because it makes space for everyone’s voices to be heard, especially the next generation. It is my pride and joy to work with the youth and be the bridge in between generations.

We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
There’s a saying in the Filipino community, tracing back to our history in the 1930s from the Delano Farmworkers’ Movement — Isang Bagsak. This translates to “One Down”. This is reference to the Workers’ Strike in Delano, meaning one day down of striking—advocating for their basic needs— another day tomorrow. In our community, we translate this as, if one falls, we all fall. But, if one rises, we all rise. This is success.

To me, success is seeing the youth that I work with set goals for themselves and achieve them. In our VSNG program, we build the youth to become strong dancers in Hip Hop and Street Dance. We provide them with tools to strengthen their freestyle skills, so that they are able to express themselves freely in the artform. Most recently, success came in the form of a certain VSNG member whom I met through my in-school residency at Cortines High School. He is one of the most dedicated students I have worked with and he has expressed his interest in competing at community events. We’ve been working together in VSNG rehearsals to hone his skills, and just recently, he has made it past prelims and repping himself in the scene! This is success, to see our students, our youth, set goals and for them to bring it to fruition. My success is the success of my community.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/__sigaaa/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aubreymamaid/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@__sigaaa?_t=8pmF5XKghah&_r=1&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaYiMa9zYoCfXQKAOsioZ_FukymSdfhHDY6JDJuXK5l_rXAebl1tTf5Gbzk_aem_kugmsUuTT2xK02vqKR77Dw

Image Credits
George Simian
Taso Papadakis
cy.ny.matic